[ARCHIVED THREAD] - A few things i have learned so far from the tornado disaster in Alabama (Page 3 of 5)
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Here's what you need from H-F... Abt $15 on sale. http://www.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/370x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_2583.jpg Those were gold after our 06 tornado here. It did not take 4 hours for the looters to show up. The neighbors and myself came to an agreement that we would run the generators only during the day and at night we would shut them down for watching for looters. We set up them at the entry points for each of our properties. I was working 12's at the time and the neighbors son in law was laid off so he would watch the three houses at night and sleep during the day. The whole third day starting to lose the edge from fatigue is dead on. Emotions started getting frayed after the initial excitement wore off. I ended up working 35 days straight and was emotionally and physically shot. There were guys at work that were getting sick from the fatigue and lack of rest. The one thing every day i most looked forward to was the hot shower at my parents a half mile away. Their hot water heater worked fine due to being gas and the water was not potable for a week but was fine for showering. I think the looters got the point when we started to sit on our front porches with a shotgun or ar. We would see vehicles that did not belong in the neighborhood slowly driving and looking at places. As soon as they got to our houses they would see us staring back and then speed up and leave. The average response time for the county is around 45 minutes in normal times but we could not rely on them to get there for hours after the storms. I honestly don't know how much preps the neighbors have but we do pretty well protecting each other. They dealt with my house getting broken into a couple years back pretty well when they caught the guy and the sheriff told them it would be two hours before they could get to the house and deal with the thief they caught. We let each other know if we are going to be gone out of town and keep a closer look when one is gone. |
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Great AAR tbs. I am in a very different local than tbs so I thouht I would share some of my observations to add additional information. We were hit twice Wednesday. First tornados was 6:20am ef3 according to the powers that be. A lot of damage even for a small storm. Second storm was around 2:30pm and it was the same ef5 that destroyed Cullman. Much worse. You can see a video of the wedgeon my facebook page.
Observations: I will echo tbs assessment of local pd and fd being overwhelmed. The ef5 hit a community called Ruth leveling 2 trailer parks and a jet pep gas station. This incident was the only loss of life in our county. They actually put a all out over the local radio station requesting anyone with medical or search and rescue to help. Total chaos on scene with no one in charge and no one willing to take charge. Many responders simply began acting on their own. Now that fema has arrived, volunteering is only through a listed agency and you must register and be badged and processed beforehelping anywhere. Speaking of radios, I am not a ham but I have purchased several shortwave radios that have been invaluable. The local radio stations went to emergency broadcasting almost immediately and began helping put out information and also getting aid to people who called in requesting help. Contrary to what tbs reported we could text through this entire episode. Tractors.are amazing things and a great man multiplier. As muchfun as we make of facebook, it has been a great tool for many to post information and needs. Power inverters are great things. Being in better shape would make clean up easier. NG is providing help and security. Local police arrested a dozen people for violating an imposed curfew. Take note I am typing this on my smart phone and it is difficult, so I will add more later |
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Great thread TBS! My prayers go out to you all affected by the storms. One thing I wanted to point out is that even if you don't get a HAM license, you are allowed to operate one for emergency purposes. I bought a 2 meter HT years ago and never got a license, but I can listen and get info and if I needed some help, I have no qualms about using it. I'm sure in an emergency situation like that, just having a 2 meter and the ability to relay messages would be a great asset. TBS, are there any unlicensed HAM operators that you know of simply using 144 freqs to aid folks right now? I would imagine that in a situation like that, people aren't too hung up on the call signs...I can't see the FCC hunting folks down that are preforming a public service in an emergency  Thanks, Speed |
Great post TBS! This disaster reminded me to re- inventory my preps. I still have holes but I have food water and shelter covered for a month. I can monitor SW radio but not transmit. I will look into Yaesu when I get back to work. Workers comp has been hurting my preps for six months. . Hopefully back to work soon.
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Thanks for the post!!! Note to self, Next prepping item is a genorator. Another 5 gallons of gas. I'm a little suprised that food & water wasn't as big as an issue as you make it. But you were there, Its logical.Bottled water seemed to be the #2 demand. They don't call it black gold for nothing. Reguards Edit; Can anybody anwser how effective two way radios would be in a disaster like such? Thanks in advance Thats one of the things the Govt will let civilians do.....Ive worked with Baptist men before and they have a heck of a feeding operation |
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it will interesting to see how the looter situation plays out. i was told today the fed was taking over security and their rules of engagement on looters is more or less shoot on sight. i know that was put into effect on the gulf coast during ivan and MANY arrests were made but i know of non actually killed.
Thanks for you postings, they have been real eye openers! I would like to know more about the mention you made as to the "Fed taking over security." My question is what Fed agency has the jurisdiction to do so? Is it FEMA and by that does it mean that FEMA keeps enough gun toters on hand to adequately provide security for such a large area? They must be a lot of them! National Guard, I understand, since they would be mobilized by the respective state governors and acting under his direction but they would not be Fed unless the President mobilized them. Am I right in my thinking or am I wrong? Not trying to stir anything up, just wanting to get a clear pictue of how things work in the real world when th SHTF! I'm still very much interested in learning more about this. Who are you referring to when you say the "Fed's are taking over security!" |
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Quoted: Quoted: Thank you for your assessment of the situation down there. I have one question though. You said civilian help is being discouraged, is it because you guys are having a hard time finding help with morals, honor and integrity or is it just them having a lack of training and doing things that are unsafe? I bet it has more to do with the police and firefighters unions not wanting any competition. Are you fucking serious? Fuck off. |
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TBS,
Outstanding ongoing AAR. Thanks for posting the details. There is a ton of good info in this thread and lots of stuff that I am jotting down and taking away from it. It's a shame more folks in that area didn't do something as simple and relatively inexpensive as to have a tornado shelter installed in their backyard. For my family in the DFW Metromess area our shelter has paid for itself several times just in peace of mind knowing my wife and kids are safe. For the cost of the latest and greatest big screen TV people can keep their families safe in the event of a tornado. Semper Fi |
| Doing laundry in my basement I noticed my tote with my storm supplies. I had forgotten to check it earlier. Everything okay still. I realized all my stored water is on the main level. I moved a case of water to the basement then covered both tote and water with plastic garbage bag to keep dust free. Storm season is just starting here in Mn. Glad I have a basement. |
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Thanks for the report, TBS.
After the day of the event you report that civilian assistance was discouraged. Care to elaborate on that point, or expound on why? Seems like that should be encouraged, if anything. Thank you for your assessment of the situation down there. I have one question though. You said civilian help is being discouraged, is it because you guys are having a hard time finding help with morals, honor and integrity or is it just them having a lack of training and doing things that are unsafe? TBK, This is the first thing that jumped out at me. I have not seen a proper assessment or explantion in the thread of the change regarding the "good guys" help being needed after the first day. Being small town raised and minded, I would expect folks to pull together (and did witness that after a typhoon in 1962 and Mt St. Helens in the 80s.) Care to expound? |
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the "help issue is due to looting and security as well as liabilty. that has already been explained. civi aid is allowed in once an areas is cleard. BUT ONLY for formal groups that are registered or people living in that area. looting is VERY bad in certain areas right now still and the popo don't have the time to determine if your a good guy or not.
i also learned another VERY important lesson today. i finally sat down and calculated my power draw and needs and it became glaring obvious that while i had plenty of generator power i was seriously lacking on large scale charging capacity. our outages here are typically 2-3 days tops and what i had <125ah deep cycle with 800 watt inverter and a 6 amp battery charger> was fine for that. by day 4 the charger is no longer able to stay on top of the nightly draw. i picked up a spare 125ah battery yesterday which just made that issue worse. today i found a 40amp battery charger at advance auto and picked it up for 130.00. this should get my batts back up to speed as i am hoping to limit genny runs to 4-5hours a day from tomorrow forward. this should be plenty to get those batteries up to an acceptable level. if needed i can hook it up at my neighbors that has power and let it run while i am at work. this exposed a pretty serious flaw in my plans. the longest i had been without power here was 5 days and that was before i built the batt system. moral to the story batteries are great but don't skimp on quality chargers. Also don't think for a min that with heavy use a small solor rig will be that useful. the 45wt system i got from harbor freight was good in the event of a generator loss but it would currentlty take my 2-3 days to recharge 2 deep cycle batteries in ideal conditions. i will say having power and fans in the house at night is a HUGE moral booster for the family. |
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Quoted: the "help issue is due to looting and security as well as liabilty. that has already been explained. civi aid is allowed in once an areas is cleard. BUT ONLY for formal groups that are registered or people living in that area. looting is VERY bad in certain areas right now still and the popo don't have the time to determine if your a good guy or not. i also learned another VERY important lesson today. i finally sat down and calculated my power draw and needs and it became glaring obvious that while i had plenty of generator power i was seriously lacking on large scale charging capacity. our outages here are typically 2-3 days tops and what i had <125ah deep cycle with 800 watt inverter and a 6 amp battery charger> was fine for that. by day 4 the charger is no longer able to stay on top of the nightly draw. i picked up a spare 125ah battery yesterday which just made that issue worse. today i found a 40amp battery charger at advance auto and picked it up for 130.00. this should get my batts back up to speed as i am hoping to limit genny runs to 4-5hours a day from tomorrow forward. this should be plenty to get those batteries up to an acceptable level. if needed i can hook it up at my neighbors that has power and let it run while i am at work. this exposed a pretty serious flaw in my plans. the longest i had been without power here was 5 days and that was before i built the batt system. moral to the story batteries are great but don't skimp on quality chargers. Also don't think for a min that with heavy use a small solor rig will be that useful. the 45wt system i got from harbor freight was good in the event of a generator loss but it would currentlty take my 2-3 days to recharge 2 deep cycle batteries in ideal conditions. i will say having power and fans in the house at night is a HUGE moral booster for the family. i would love to come see your setup and pick your brain, or even have you help me design my own system. |
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the "help issue is due to looting and security as well as liabilty. that has already been explained. civi aid is allowed in once an areas is cleard. BUT ONLY for formal groups that are registered or people living in that area. looting is VERY bad in certain areas right now still and the popo don't have the time to determine if your a good guy or not. i also learned another VERY important lesson today. i finally sat down and calculated my power draw and needs and it became glaring obvious that while i had plenty of generator power i was seriously lacking on large scale charging capacity. our outages here are typically 2-3 days tops and what i had <125ah deep cycle with 800 watt inverter and a 6 amp battery charger> was fine for that. by day 4 the charger is no longer able to stay on top of the nightly draw. i picked up a spare 125ah battery yesterday which just made that issue worse. today i found a 40amp battery charger at advance auto and picked it up for 130.00. this should get my batts back up to speed as i am hoping to limit genny runs to 4-5hours a day from tomorrow forward. this should be plenty to get those batteries up to an acceptable level. if needed i can hook it up at my neighbors that has power and let it run while i am at work. this exposed a pretty serious flaw in my plans. the longest i had been without power here was 5 days and that was before i built the batt system. moral to the story batteries are great but don't skimp on quality chargers. Also don't think for a min that with heavy use a small solor rig will be that useful. the 45wt system i got from harbor freight was good in the event of a generator loss but it would currentlty take my 2-3 days to recharge 2 deep cycle batteries in ideal conditions. i will say having power and fans in the house at night is a HUGE moral booster for the family. i would love to come see your setup and pick your brain, or even have you help me design my own system. come on up anytime. you have my number. it's really VERY simple and pretty cheap. compared to some of the guys here i am one step above a caveman  .
generator.... 450.00 <5 years ago prices are up now.> 125ah battery x2 80.00 each 160.00 800watt inverter.... 20.00 at hamfest 2 battery boxes 9.00 each..... 18.00 schumaker 40 amp charger ... 130.00 assorted cables... 30.00 solar panel chargers 140.00 total cost to date 948.00 over about a 5 year span. the batteries run my entertainment center <tv,sat,internet and pc's> along with lights and my cpap frim 8pm till about 7 am when i put genny back online. as i am at work tomorrow the gen will run from about 4pm until 9pm to charge the batteries and run the freezer a bit. i figure the upfront cost of the batteries saves me a LOT in fuel usage and wear on the generatorin the long term. so far this withthis event i have added the 40amp charger and 1 battery. everything else i already had. one of the best things about the batteries is it's VERY easy for the wife to use. flip switch. plug in power strip... watch tv. she will NOT touch the generator and would otherwise be in the dark making my life more miserable 
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the "help issue is due to looting and security as well as liabilty. that has already been explained. civi aid is allowed in once an areas is cleard. BUT ONLY for formal groups that are registered or people living in that area. looting is VERY bad in certain areas right now still and the popo don't have the time to determine if your a good guy or not. i also learned another VERY important lesson today. i finally sat down and calculated my power draw and needs and it became glaring obvious that while i had plenty of generator power i was seriously lacking on large scale charging capacity. our outages here are typically 2-3 days tops and what i had <125ah deep cycle with 800 watt inverter and a 6 amp battery charger> was fine for that. by day 4 the charger is no longer able to stay on top of the nightly draw. i picked up a spare 125ah battery yesterday which just made that issue worse. today i found a 40amp battery charger at advance auto and picked it up for 130.00. this should get my batts back up to speed as i am hoping to limit genny runs to 4-5hours a day from tomorrow forward. this should be plenty to get those batteries up to an acceptable level. if needed i can hook it up at my neighbors that has power and let it run while i am at work. this exposed a pretty serious flaw in my plans. the longest i had been without power here was 5 days and that was before i built the batt system. moral to the story batteries are great but don't skimp on quality chargers. Also don't think for a min that with heavy use a small solor rig will be that useful. the 45wt system i got from harbor freight was good in the event of a generator loss but it would currentlty take my 2-3 days to recharge 2 deep cycle batteries in ideal conditions. i will say having power and fans in the house at night is a HUGE moral booster for the family. i would love to come see your setup and pick your brain, or even have you help me design my own system. come on up anytime. you have my number. it's really VERY simple and pretty cheap. compared to some of the guys here i am one step above a caveman .
generator.... 450.00 <5 years ago prices are up now.> 125ah battery x2 80.00 each 160.00 800watt inverter.... 20.00 at hamfest 2 battery boxes 9.00 each..... 18.00 schumaker 40 amp charger ... 130.00 assorted cables... 30.00 solar panel chargers 140.00 total cost to date 948.00 over about a 5 year span. the batteries run my entertainment center <tv,sat,internet and pc's> along with lights and my cpap frim 8pm till about 7 am when i put genny back online. as i am at work tomorrow the gen will run from about 4pm until 9pm to charge the batteries and run the freezer a bit. i figure the upfront cost of the batteries saves me a LOT in fuel usage and wear on the generatorin the long term. so far this withthis event i have added the 40amp charger and 1 battery. everything else i already had. one of the best things about the batteries is it's VERY easy for the wife to use. flip switch. plug in power strip... watch tv. she will NOT touch the generator and would otherwise be in the dark making my life more miserable I'm seeing the need for a thread about your setup, w/ pics of course, when you get more time, obviously. Great AAR, nothing like field testing the preps. You're lucky you can pick stuff up to make improvements on the fly. Are the solar panels useful at all? If so, how? |
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Note to self; get ham radio certified so as to be a real asset in a serious crisis. +1 KE4YTA Our stake is gearing up to go to AL this week, Friday thru Sunday. If not the next weekend. Sounds like there will be a lot of Stakes going. Let me know if you're heading to the Decatur area. 
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| Great post TBS and another excellent discussion. I'm forwarding a link to this thread to a good friend in Birmingham. He did okay at his house, but his church was heavily damaged. Like so many natural disasters, this will serve as a real wakeup for a lot of people. |
| TBS, Could twitter play a role in disseminating information in these circumstances? My wife has long hated twitter, yet found it useful to contact specific groups for special purposes. If they have smart phones or internet connection, even by 3G cards, it might work. |
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FRS radios are better than nothing and there are expedient methods [where legal] to extend their communication range DRAMATICALLY with a ~$50 device. Ditch the 'tunnel vision'. Don't want to hijack this thread but...EXPY, what device would that be, I have a HAM HT but need something for the wife and I to comm with. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=repeater+simplex&_sacat=0&_odkw=repeater+walk*&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 Look ^^^^ here Rusty. Check the rules and regs to make sure it's legal to use in your country 
Height above terrain is your friend. FRS radio to radio could cover 15 miles+ easily in the right 'application'. Think line of sight.... no way in hell your going to get 15 miles out of any blister pack walmart radio. we could barely get 2.5 out them between boats deep sea fishing. you won't get better LOS conditions that that. consider FRS is limited to .5watt power and must have an integrated antenna. in other words NO exteran antenna upgrades. gmrs needs a license to be legal and most handhelds are under 5watts <especially the cheap ones>. once again realistic range will be under 5 miles best case. without a repeater they are crap. ham ticket 15.00 2m weatherproof IPX rated handheld 100.00 range with repeater.... 50+ miles. 115.00 gets you a REAL radio that won;t give you trouble and will get you realistic good information and assistence. trust i am king of cheap. i have a shitload of frs/gmrs radios. non of them lasted more than a few uses with light use before one or both in the set died. Thank you. This is good info that breaks this down for someone like me. Any recommendations on the $115 real radio? I'm studying for my license. |
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TBS, Could twitter play a role in disseminating information in these circumstances? My wife has long hated twitter, yet found it useful to contact specific groups for special purposes. If they have smart phones or internet connection, even by 3G cards, it might work. IIRC, TBS mentioned cell signals being sporadic, while another person down there said that he hadn't lost reception. Having an internet connection would be dependent on a number of variables, the first of which would be power, which a lot of people don't have. Take home, it would work, but would be hit or miss depending on where your target group was located. IIRC, thereisnospoon mentioned using Facebook as a way to communicate. |
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I wonder if hughes internet service works in the bad areas? Someone would have to have protected it and power it up but if folks with rv stuff can take it with them and aim them and use em when they stop for the day then I figure it is something to consider. The thing about facebook or twitter or anything like that is you can travel to where you get a cell signal if you have a smart phone and post an update. That update is there for your friends to read, or whoever can read your stuff. You don't need to send a few dozen messages out and anyone wanting to ask a question can put it there and next time you get a signal you can check out questions and update things. I use my smart phone for internet access but I got a smart phone, droid, recently with the slide out keyboard. I won't be writing college papers with it but I can do some decent typing with it. Most folks will travel for food, water, fuel, or other needs at some point. If they are traveling for a decent distance they will probably get to where cell service is operational. I have an aunt that has hughes internet service, they got it before a usb modem or smart phone was out to do the job. I have done some reading on it and we would have to protect the thing to make sure we had it to set up afterwards but I kind of expect it works if I can power it after natural disasters. For everyday use hughes service has limitations and so does my droid. But when you look at portability and options they are kind of nice. Just my opinion on that sort of thing. I have had a blackberry for a few years and it was my only internet for 2 of them and now I have a droid I got for a cheap upgrade and it is my only internet service. |
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generator.... 450.00 <5 years ago prices are up now.> 125ah battery x2 80.00 each 160.00 800watt inverter.... 20.00 at hamfest 2 battery boxes 9.00 each..... 18.00 schumaker 40 amp charger ... 130.00 assorted cables... 30.00 solar panel chargers 140.00 total cost to date 948.00 over about a 5 year span. What brand of battery are you using? I was about to get an Optima here recently but lots of people seemed to report duds and overrated on eHam reviews. They're definitely pricey (lot more than $80 each). |
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TBS, Could twitter play a role in disseminating information in these circumstances? My wife has long hated twitter, yet found it useful to contact specific groups for special purposes. If they have smart phones or internet connection, even by 3G cards, it might work. FWIW, our ARES group uses Twitter as an SMS alert system for cell phones. It's obviously not what we depend on, but it's a nifty tool when technology is up. We set up a Twitter account for the group, then all "followed" with our mobile numbers to receive tweets, and the designated leadership have the credentials to log in and blast out alerts or announcements. No smart phone required for the recipients –– just text. |
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generator.... 450.00 <5 years ago prices are up now.> 125ah battery x2 80.00 each 160.00 800watt inverter.... 20.00 at hamfest 2 battery boxes 9.00 each..... 18.00 schumaker 40 amp charger ... 130.00 assorted cables... 30.00 solar panel chargers 140.00 total cost to date 948.00 over about a 5 year span. What brand of battery are you using? I was about to get an Optima here recently but lots of people seemed to report duds and overrated on eHam reviews. They're definitely pricey (lot more than $80 each). batteries are MAXX29 series from walmart. so far i have had decent luck with them. for the price of one optima i can buy 2. if one fails i am still at the potimas output. if they both work i have twice the capacity. now that said these batts are stationary, seldom moved and stay on a smart charger to prevent sulfication <sp>. if conditions are rough the optimas might be a better choice. |
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TBS, Could twitter play a role in disseminating information in these circumstances? My wife has long hated twitter, yet found it useful to contact specific groups for special purposes. If they have smart phones or internet connection, even by 3G cards, it might work. FWIW, our ARES group uses Twitter as an SMS alert system for cell phones. It's obviously not what we depend on, but it's a nifty tool when technology is up. We set up a Twitter account for the group, then all "followed" with our mobile numbers to receive tweets, and the designated leadership have the credentials to log in and blast out alerts or announcements. No smart phone required for the recipients –– just text. thats part of the problem here, data was up just fine but text is still spotty. |
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TBS, Could twitter play a role in disseminating information in these circumstances? My wife has long hated twitter, yet found it useful to contact specific groups for special purposes. If they have smart phones or internet connection, even by 3G cards, it might work. FWIW, our ARES group uses Twitter as an SMS alert system for cell phones. It's obviously not what we depend on, but it's a nifty tool when technology is up. We set up a Twitter account for the group, then all "followed" with our mobile numbers to receive tweets, and the designated leadership have the credentials to log in and blast out alerts or announcements. No smart phone required for the recipients –– just text. thats part of the problem here, data was up just fine but text is still spotty. Right on. I definitely would not classify this event as the intended use of our alert system. Our Twitter/text alerts are good for non-grid down times, like drills, pre-weather-events, manning the hospital radios (we are where the coastal hospitals evacuate to), etc. Our group knows where to monitor is something hits the fan unexpectedly. BTW, glad your walmart SLA batteries are working for you. I had one of theirs that croaked on me so that's why I was looking to upgrade this go'round. |
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oddly enough i have always had decent life out of walmart car batteries. 2-3 years is all i expect out of them and for the price i am ok with that. plus i am poor so i am definanlty working with a budget.
as for the solar panels.... the 20watt i just got i used the hell out of for keeping the phone charged. it's worked well. the HF 45wt kit worked well but the output is simply not enough for what i need charged now. the controller and 12v lights that came with have been VERY handy. been using it off the battery without the panels. |
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oddly enough i have always had decent life out of walmart car batteries. 2-3 years is all i expect out of them and for the price i am ok with that. plus i am poor so i am definanlty working with a budget. as for the solar panels.... the 20watt i just got i used the hell out of for keeping the phone charged. it's worked well. the HF 45wt kit worked well but the output is simply not enough for what i need charged now. the controller and 12v lights that came with have been VERY handy. been using it off the battery without the panels. Are those deep-cycle batteries? |
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I'm late to the party, but here's my take. I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if I'm just repeating what others have said. My wife and I are in Huntsville, close to UAH in the old neighborhoods. The damage from the tornado swarm is very sporadic. In our neighborhood and for probably a mile radius you wouldn't know there had been a storm unless someone told you. My co-worker who lives in Harvest had too large tornado tracks about a mile from his house in each direction. They literally bracketed him and all he lost was a couple of Bradford Pears (and those were born to shatter in a storm anyway.) Power went down late afternoon during the storms. Something like 500,000 people lost power. The cause of the outages was destruction of the transmission lines and towers that feed the utilities–– big, heavy, expensive stuff, not just the creosote poles on the street but steel towers. Our power came back up this morning. We're under Huntsville Utilities and they have said they are phasing-in power to critical areas first. Critical to them has meant medical first, then areas where food and fuel are sold, then residential. Our neighborhood is spitting distance to gas, groceries, a large university, and a strip of road with banks, gas, tools, and other useful stuff. I'm betting that's why we got power relatively early. The town was back to about 25% when we got power back. The gas situation was pretty bad. It seems nobody keeps fuel in their vehicles. Lots of folks had their cars run dry in line for fuel or, worse yet, on the highways out to Birmingham and Nashville. People panicked, decided they needed gas, and just started driving. Lots of stations didn't have backup power, so even if they had gas sitting in the ground they couldn't pump it. Traffic control was scary with the lights out. Many people would just blow through the lights rather than treat them as a 4-way stop (as required by law) and a number of wrecks occurred. Lots of folks were out driving faster and more recklessly than they should and with literally no place to go–– no services available, no good supply of gas, no jobs to be worked. They were just out driving. Curfew was imposed here in Huntsville from dusk to dawn. I still saw folks driving slowly through our neighborhood late at night. There have been some burglaries and robberies. One store owner killed a guy late at night breaking into his store. People called into the radio stations a few hours after power went out because they didn't know where to find food. Moms called in looking for formula and diapers. Bottom line: - People don't think ahead. - People don't prepare. - People don't keep enough basic supplies for a few days without power and water on hand. (Water here was not interrupted.) - Some people can't be trusted. Prepare accordingly. |
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thats pretty much exactly what i saw here.
it has also re-enforced my idead that the first 48hrs of something like should be spent at home unless you are part of the search and rescue teams. 48hrs later gas staions were open again and much of the inital panick had subsided. on the bright side Chralie Sheen arrived in tuscaloosa today so i am sure we now have a reliable supply of coccain and porn. We're SAVED!!! |
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I am going to have to go to Redstone to pick some trailers up sometime in the next 2 weeks- good info here for me to plan. Anyone know if Redstone took much of a hit? i don't think so but don't quote me on that. info out of the north is a bit sketchy from here. might ask over in the HTF. by the way if you ever get to bham look me up |
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Something good that has come from this: my wife mentioned that we needed to buy a generator. Up until now she had disregarded my previous requests to consider adding a generator to our preps. i can honestly say it's the one thing above all else that has made life easier. i won't ever be without one if i can help it. |
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it has also re-enforced my idead that the first 48hrs of something like should be spent at home unless you are part of the search and rescue teams. 48hrs later gas staions were open again and much of the inital panick had subsided. Bolded and enlarged for emphasis. I couldn't possibly agree more. I watched people speeding through town with no traffic lights up and absolutely nowhere to go. If you go out into the panicked crowd you're likely to get hurt. If you don't get hurt, you still won't accomplish anything. on the bright side Chralie Sheen arrived in tuscaloosa today so i am sure we now have a reliable supply of coccain and porn. We're SAVED!!!
I couldn't believe that when I saw it on al.com. Wife's initial response to the outages: "At least we don't have to hear about the royal wedding anymore."
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Something good that has come from this: my wife mentioned that we needed to buy a generator. Up until now she had disregarded my previous requests to consider adding a generator to our preps. i can honestly say it's the one thing above all else that has made life easier. i won't ever be without one if i can help it. I'll be adding a tri-fuel kit to my generator on Wednesday when it comes in and will then plumb it into our natural gas line. We had fuel on hand for the genny and didn't need to buy more, but I always worry about ethanol, water accumulation, and carb fouling these days. I expect the NG conversion to help out with those worries and still let me run gasoline in a pinch. Agree on the generator–– our food didn't spoil, we were able to charge electronics and keep a battery/inverter pack topped off, and we were able to help-out theneighbors with keeping their fridge cool. I also ran some old server fans in the windows and moved a lot of air through the house at the cost of very little gas. I also won't ever be without one. |
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I am going to have to go to Redstone to pick some trailers up sometime in the next 2 weeks- good info here for me to plan. Anyone know if Redstone took much of a hit? It's literally just down the street from me. I haven't heard of damage there, but I don't think they're letting civilian employees back on base yet, either. I doubt the DRMO is open today. Status of the base from their main site: Redstone Arsenal Update for Monday
Redstone Arsenal is still without a majority of power. As a result, there will be no major increase to the workforce on Monday. Current status for worksites and mission related facilities is closed. Much like the local communities, as power begins to get restored it will be a very gradual process. As power is restored to buildings, the workforce will be called back to work; therefore, it is imperative you stay in touch with your organization regarding your status. Contract employees please check with your contracting company to get further directions from your leadership. Redstone Officials ask that all personnel please make every effort to check in with their organization. Redstone leaders want to ensure their employees are okay and provide assistance where possible. The installation remains accessible to basic life services to all authorized patrons. All those having appropriate identification to enter the installation will be permitted access. Authorized patrons/users of the Exchange, Commissary, Shoppette, and Fox Army Health Clinic can access the installation and use those facilities. For those who have lost their military identification card during Wednesday`s storms, the Military Personnel Office and Visitors Center at Gate 9 will be open on Monday. We are in close partnership with the community to get power to all Redstone work facilities. As soon as we know the work conditions for Tuesday we will utilize local media as well as our web site (www.redstone.army.mil), social media (Team Redstone on Facebook and Twitter) and our information line for recorded message (1-877-863-1462) to keep the workforce informed. Redstone Arsenal Gate hours: Weekdays: Gate 1 5:30 a.m. - 12 a.m. Gate 3 Closed Gate 7 5:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Gate 8 5:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Gate 9 24/7 Gate 10 4:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. |
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I am going to have to go to Redstone to pick some trailers up sometime in the next 2 weeks- good info here for me to plan. Anyone know if Redstone took much of a hit? It's literally just down the street from me. I haven't heard of damage there, but I don't think they're letting civilian employees back on base yet, either. I doubt the DRMO is open today. Status of the base from their main site: Redstone Arsenal Update for Monday
Redstone Arsenal is still without a majority of power. As a result, there will be no major increase to the workforce on Monday. Current status for worksites and mission related facilities is closed. Much like the local communities, as power begins to get restored it will be a very gradual process. As power is restored to buildings, the workforce will be called back to work; therefore, it is imperative you stay in touch with your organization regarding your status. Contract employees please check with your contracting company to get further directions from your leadership. Redstone Officials ask that all personnel please make every effort to check in with their organization. Redstone leaders want to ensure their employees are okay and provide assistance where possible. The installation remains accessible to basic life services to all authorized patrons. All those having appropriate identification to enter the installation will be permitted access. Authorized patrons/users of the Exchange, Commissary, Shoppette, and Fox Army Health Clinic can access the installation and use those facilities. For those who have lost their military identification card during Wednesday`s storms, the Military Personnel Office and Visitors Center at Gate 9 will be open on Monday. We are in close partnership with the community to get power to all Redstone work facilities. As soon as we know the work conditions for Tuesday we will utilize local media as well as our web site (www.redstone.army.mil), social media (Team Redstone on Facebook and Twitter) and our information line for recorded message (1-877-863-1462) to keep the workforce informed. Redstone Arsenal Gate hours: Weekdays: Gate 1 5:30 a.m. - 12 a.m. Gate 3 Closed Gate 7 5:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Gate 8 5:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Gate 9 24/7 Gate 10 4:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Thanks- it will be at least a week, maybe 2 or 3 before I am headed down. Paperwork is still pending because in order to buy a dammed obsolete trailer the DOD makes you do a retarded background check more anal than than a damm NFA check. It might clear tomorrow, it might take a week, it might take a damm month. Ohh the joys of this business. But the trailers look good at least
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Thanks- it will be at least a week, maybe 2 or 3 before I am headed down. Paperwork is still pending because in order to buy a dammed obsolete trailer the DOD makes you do a retarded background check more anal than than a damm NFA check. It might clear tomorrow, it might take a week, it might take a damm month. Ohh the joys of this business. But the trailers look good at least Are they making you do an end-use certificate for a bloody trailer?!? I used to buy a lot of electronic test equipment from that DRMO (when govliquidation was still Levy-Latham). It drove me nuts having to do EUCs for test equipment that had been obsolete for 20 years. Shoot me an IM when you get your plans settled. If you've got time I'll buy lunch. |
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Thanks- it will be at least a week, maybe 2 or 3 before I am headed down. Paperwork is still pending because in order to buy a dammed obsolete trailer the DOD makes you do a retarded background check more anal than than a damm NFA check. It might clear tomorrow, it might take a week, it might take a damm month. Ohh the joys of this business. But the trailers look good at least Are they making you do an end-use certificate for a bloody trailer?!? I used to buy a lot of electronic test equipment from that DRMO (when govliquidation was still Levy-Latham). It drove me nuts having to do EUCs for test equipment that had been obsolete for 20 years. Shoot me an IM when you get your plans settled. If you've got time I'll buy lunch. EUC's for 40 year old trailers. EUC's for a 6.2 diesel engine. You can buy one direct from GM, but they still want an EUC. I even saw them requiring EUC's for some red Coleman canoes once.... Will do on lunch. |